AS FAR AS THE MOON (english version)

XXI - Ayla

As long as I am with you,
I will not be homesick.
Because home is where the heart is,
and you own mine.
- poetbychoice

I said goodbye to Thoran and promised to keep him informed of the progress of my recovery, then turned to Kyran, who was towering behind me in an attempt to help me make my way to the couch. I glared at him with thunders in my eyes as he tried to take a step towards me, while Niko hummed in the kitchen, intent on preparing dinner.

I dragged myself with difficulty, but I refused to accept his help. I was furious with him, to say the least.
"Did you have to make him uncomfortable like that?"

He played dumb, avoiding eye contact,
"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do! What the hell is wrong with you?"
He sat back in the chair when he realised I had no intention of accepting his offer of help, a grimace tugging at the scar on his lip, "Tgh. Honestly, I wouldn't even know where to begin to answer that."

I frowned, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Jesus, do you ever stop asking questions?" he rolled his eyes, adjusting his biceps behind his head indifferently.

"Only when you'll give me answers." I crossed my arms over my chest, having placed the bag of ice on my knee lying on the couch.
"I don't owe you any explanations."

I bit my tongue in irritation. I had always been a rather quiet person, but the anger he could ignite inside me was a completely separate emotion. He made me want to explode and scream until I lost my voice.

"You make me sick to my stomach. You're so fucking arrogant," I gritted my teeth, my nails driven into my flesh.
He huffed out a laugh with all the calm in the world, "Nothing I haven't heard before."

I shook my head, frustrated that I didn't have the option to get up and simply walk away so I wouldn't have to put up with his rudeness any longer.
"It's unnerving trying to have a conversation with you."

He gave me a look that penetrated my stomach, "Then don't."

A few brown wisps fell over his eyes as he clenched his jaw in an impassive expression. His irises were a dull grey shade like the winter sea, sharpened by thick eyebrows that accentuated his facial features. He was... beautiful and terrifying at the same time.

I lowered my gaze. For some strange reason, those words hurt me. Why couldn't he just stop acting that way? If only he hadn't been a complete asshole, I almost thought we could have tried to be... friends.
But no, he had to act like a damn bully and make my life impossible. I sighed, exhausted.

The entrance lock clicked, and Aidan peeped out from the corridor of the apartment building.
Immediately, my face bent into a wide grin. "Hey, how did it go?"
He cast me a quick glance, "Hey."

Kyran frowned, which led me to imitate him.
"Where have you been?"
My brother's eyes ran to those of his friend, who studied his expression for a few moments. Then, he made to stand up.

"I'm going to see where Niko is with lunch," he announced.
I furrowed my brow as Kyran left the room. A twinge of immediate concern infiltrated my throat.
"What's going on?"

Aidan took off his jacket, then went to sit in the armchair with his head in his hands.
"I... I went to meet my father."
My heart stopped. What?
"What?"

He passed his hands over his eyes in a gesture of stress, then looked up at me, elbows resting on his knees.
"He... wanted to see me and—well, it didn't go that well."

The phone call I had surreptitiously eavesdropped on last weekend immediately sprang to mind and my heart pounded in my chest.

"What did he want?" my voice trembled, along with the bones in my hands.
Aidan took a deep breath before answering. "He—" he paused briefly, as if choosing the right words, "...You need to know that he is no longer the person you remember."